Automatic vehicle-brake.



` No.' 700,207. V A Pt'emed may 2 0, i902.;

` 0. E. AUSTIN,

AuToMATlc vEHlcLE BRAKE. (Application Bled Apr. 6, 1901.)

(nu M0001.)

YN: Norms Przns co.. PHoTaLlTNov. wAsHlNcrcN. b. c.

* UNITED Sra/*runs JAMES E. AUSTIN, OF COLDVVATER, MISSISSIPPI.

'AUTOlZVlATIC VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,287,7dated lVIay 20, -1.902.

Application filed April 6, 190].. Serial No. 54,6.;75. (ll'omodel.)

To LZZ whom it may concern: v n y Be it known that I, JAMES E. AUSTIN, a

` citizen of the United States, residing atColdwater, in the county of Tateand State of Mississippi, have invented a new andl useful Automatic Vehicle-Brake, of which the following is a specification'. e

This ,invention relates to improvements in automatic vehicle-brakes; and the Objectis to providea simple and-effective construction of brake which will be held inoperative while the draft is applied, but will be automatically applied when the draftis slackened, as when l vers.

a bottom plan View of the same@ Fig.y 3, a vertical longitu'dinal sectional View taken centrally'through Fig. 2,v and Fig, 4a detail view ofthe operating-leverand the connection between the same and the brake-releasing le- Referring now morel particularly to the accompanying draa'vlings, A designates'the tongue of the vehicle, B vthe hounds,l C' the bar connecting the rear ends of the hounds, D the front axle, E the front Wheels positioned upon said axle, landF the` doubletree, all of the well-knownconstruction and forming no part of my present invention.

Secured ,to the rear ends of the hounds and disposed rearwardly therefrom are stirrups G,

which formslideways for the-brakebeam H, which is movable therein and which carries at its ends brake-shoes I, adapted to engage the front Wheels when said moved forwardly.

.Coiled springs J, connected at their respective ends to the axle and to the brake-beam, havea tendency to hold said brake-beam in its forward position,with the shoes in conctive view ofl thefront I portion of the running-gear of a vehiclewitlrv my improvedbrake applied thereto; Fig. f2,

brake-beam kis e adjustable eyebolt K; which'perxnits of hthe tact with thewheel's. Y Thesespringsare con-v nected with'the brake-beam' by means of an v55 v adjustment of 'the 'springs to vary'their feny hounds and'eXtending rearwardly therefromv i is-'an arm L, having at its outer end a pivot 6o f M. This arm constitute'safulerumfor brake?I releasing levers N,"which are intermediatelyk mountedupon said pivot M. Saidlevers are c`rossed,andthepivotalpointthereofisnearer 1 65 of said leversl are connectedby linksO with'l lv eye-bands P, secured to,I the brake-beam ony opposite -sides of the yfulcr'um, while their outerv longer ends arev pivotallyrconnected v one end thanthe other. The inner short'endsV with operating-rods Q ,which'extendforwardly through openings inthe cross-bar'Oof: thel hounds' and over the'axle.'`

l Rods vQ are screwthjreaded attheir forwardl endsand'extend through perforationsiu a n cross-.piece R, formed '.onfthe innerendof the eonnectimg-iron S.- lNuts `T are positioned ,upon the threaded portions yof theserods', one ony eachf side of the cross-piece,` so that the y' l rods maybe adjusted as lmaybe necessary.

so Coupling-'iron S is`V bent'to extend onthe y or desirable.

under side of tongue A1 and` is "formed at its v forward end with a vertically-disposed stern I' U, which isscrew-threaded at its upper end and which"v extends upwardly through a slot V,'forn1ed in the tongue, vand. in which it is Vmovable -v backandfforth. vStern U also extends through the doubletree F upon the upper side of the tongue and throughva slot W in a strap W', which is secured to the upper movement )of therdoubletree ,torelease and permit;` the Aapplicatioi'lgof the brake. The .projecting screw-vthreadedfend of saidl stem receives a nut'X and-asutable washer. 'eBe-v fore receiving the nut'X said stem also passes through a slot formed in a plate v, which is 'disposed on the upper side offstrapW'. j Riv-- yotally attached to plate Y is 'a. 1inkpY',"; at-

9"@ side of the ton`gue,and which'constitutes a p 'guide to permit'thebackward and forward a are provided, which are disposed on the inner sides of the stirrups, as illustrated.

The operation of my improved automatic brake is as follows: The coiled springs J hold the brake-shoes normally in contact with the front wheels of the vehicle when the draft is not applied. Upon application of the draft the doubletree is moved forwardly, which through its connection with the operating-rods effects the movement of the levers N, which in turn move the brake-beam rearwardly against the tension ol' said springs and release lthe wheels. As soon, however, as the draft slackens the springs act to move the brake-beam forwardly and apply the brake-shoes to the wheels. This would occur whenever the traces become slack-as, for instance, when the vehicle is descending an incline or when the vehicle is stationary. Should it not be desirable to have the brake operative-21s, for instance, in backing the vehiclethe operating-lever Z is swung forwardly in Contact with the tongue, which moves the doubletree also forwardly, operating the levers, as before set forth, and moving the brake to release the wheels. Thus the mechanism is held in inoperative position, to be instantly rendered operative by reversing the position of said lever.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a sliding draft-bar, of a brakebeaul carrying shoes, springs holding said brake-beam with the shoes in engagement with the wheels, the cross-levers, an operative connection between one end of said levers and the brake-beam, forwardly-extending rods pivotally connected with the other end of said levers, a coupling-iron movable upon the tongue of the vehicle and to which the rods are connected at their opposite ends, and to which the draft-bar is pivotally connected, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination of stirrups secured to the rear ends of the houuds'and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a brake-beam movable in said stirrups and carrying brake-shoes, springs connected at their respective ends to the axle andsaid brake beam, a rearwardly extending arm centrally secured to the cross bar of the hounds, levers intermediately pivoted to said arm, links connecting one end of said levers, to the brake-beam, operating-rods pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said levers and extending forwardly, a coupling-iron to which the forward ends of the rods are connected, and a slidingdraft-bar mounted upon said coupling-iron,substantially as described.

3. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with the slotted tongue and draftbar, of a coupling-iron havinga stem projecting through the slot in the tongue and also through the draft-bar, a slotted strap or plate attached to the tongue and extending across the draft-bar, a slotted plate arranged upon the slotted strap having a link pivotally connected thereto, a nt screwed upon the stem of the coupling-iron and adapted to hold the slotted plate in place upon the slotted strap, a lever connected to the link, the rods connected to the rear end of the coupling-iron, spring-actuated brake-beam, the levers connected to the said brake-beam and to the operating-rods, substantially as set forth.

JAMES E. AUSTIN.

Witnesses:

C. M. YA'rEs, P. I-IALLIcoTT. 

